Half to harvey h



(No Model.)

A. J. CURTIS.

WRENCH.

,No. 486,697. Patented Nov. 22, 1892.

"UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ANDREWJ. CURTIS, OF EAST WILLIAMSON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOHARVEY H. POUND AND WILLIAM POUND.

WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 486,697, dated November22, 1892.

Application filedMay 31, 1892. Serial No- 4.35,026. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. CURTIS, a citizen of the United States,residing at East Williamson, in the county of Wayne and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Wrenches; andI do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of theinvention, such as willenable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches, which improvements maybe applied with equal efficiency to wrenches having their jawsconstructed for tightening and loosening nuts or to wrenches whose jawsare designed especially for turning pipes and other similar cylindricalobjects.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple and effectiveadjusting means whereby the movable jaw may be quickly and easilyadjusted-to its proper position and rigidly held in place to preventitsaccidental release or retrograde movement from the object on which thewrench maybe used.

With these ends in view the invention consists of a shank or barprovided with an inclined surface on its front face and the usual rigidjaw at its outer end and a novel springcontrolled locking-piece pivotedin the saddle of the movable jaw, so as to engage with the inclinedsurface of the shank, whereby the movable jaw may be readily adjustedtoward or from the rigid jaw, but the frictional contact of thelocking-piece or the shank will" prevent the movable jaw from havingretrograde movement when applied to the object until the cam isreleased.

My invention further consists of the construction and arrangement ofparts, which will be described and claimed hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of thewrench. Fig. 2 is a similar view partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a frontelevation.

Referring to the drawings, in which like letters of reference denotecorresponding parts in all the figures, A designates the bar or shank ofmy improved wrench, which is provided with a suitable handle a and rigidjaw a. For a portion of its length, between the handle and jaw a, thisshank has an inclined or cam surface Bon its front face, which may becorrugated or otherwise roughened, as desired. This inclined surface Bextends, preferably, from a point above the middle of the shank nearlyto the handle, and it gradually merges into the shank, and lugs b may beprovided to limit the play of the saddle carrying the movable jaw. Themovable jaw O is carried by a saddle 0, having its collars c c fitted onthe shank A, and these collars adapt the movable jaw to slide freely upand down on the shank of the rigid jaw to adjust the wrench to nuts orpipes of different sizes. In the lower front portion of the saddle c isa locking-piece D, which is pivoted on a transverse pin (1 and adaptedto bear directly on the front inclined face of the shank, for whichpurpose it has a rounded eccentric head d, which may also beronghened,if desired. On the outer exposed end of this backing-piece is athumb-piece E, by which the locking-piece may be moved manually torelease the head d from contact with the inclined face of the shank, andan offset e is arranged above said thumb-piece to bear against thesaddle as the locking-piece is operated and limit the play of thelocking-piece D. The locking-piece is normally pressed into contact withthe shank by a spring F, which is suitably secured in the saddle abovethe locking-piece, and the free end of said spring is arranged to beardirectly upon the eccentric head of the lockingpiece, so that it willnormally hold the locking-piece in close engagement with the shank A. Toprevent the spring from becoming displaced, I provide a shoulder 6',against which the spring impinges to retain said spring in place. i

It will be observed that when the thumbpiece is elevated the eccentrichead is withdrawn from engagement with the shank, so that the saddle andmovable jaw will be free to move on the shank in order that it may beproperly adjusted to the wrench or pipe.

After the movable jaw has been adjusted the thumb-piece is released andthe eccentric head will be again forced into engagement with the shankby the spring, where it will take a firm hold on the roughened inclineB. The eccentric construction of the head on the locking-piece and theinclined surface of the shank serve to prevent the movable jaw andsaddle from moving downward until the thumb-piece has been raised torelease the eccentric head; but it will be observed that thelocking-piece does not prevent the movable jaw and saddle from beingmoved toward the rigid jaw even when the operatingpiece is engaged withsaid shank. As pressure is exerted upon the jaws of the wrench, thetendency will be to force the movable jaw downward; but this will notaifect the operation and effectiveness of the tool, because theeccentric head of the locking-piece will be clinched allthe more tightlyupon the inclined face of the shank.

I am aware that changes in the form and proportion of parts and detailsof eonstruction of the devices herein shown and described as anembodiment of my invention may be made without departing from the spiritor sacrificing the ad vantages thereof, and I therefore reserve theright to make such changes and alterations as fairly fall within thescope of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wrench having a rigid jaw, a shank provided with the inclinedbearing-surface on the front face thereof, a saddle arranged to slide onthe shank and carrying the movable jaw, a locking-piece pivoted in thesaddle and having an eccentric head, and a spring arranged to force thehead of said locking-piece into engagement with the inclined face of theshank, the locking-piece being provided with the thumb-piece forreleasing the head from the shank and the oifset to limit its playtoward the shank, substantially as described.

2. In a wrench, substantially as described, the combination of the shankhaving a rigid jaw at one end and the inclined bearing-surface whichinclines outwardly as it recedes from said rigid jaw, a saddle fitted onsaid shank and having the movable jaw, the eccentric pivoted in thesaddle and provided with the smooth-faced head which binds directlyagainst said inclined bearing-surface of the shank, and thepressure-spring confined between the vertieal body of the saddle and theshank and pressing against said pivoted eccentric to normally force itssmoothfaeed head into firm contact with the inclined bearing of saidshank, as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW J. CURTIS.

Witnesses:

U. K. KNAPP, F. P. ROGERS.

